Webcam Player is a very lightweight and straightforward utility that allows you to quickly visualize the content that is currently being streamed via your webcam.

There are several situations that call for such a program; for instance, when you want to test your webcam or when you wish to discover what is being transmitted over it, without your permission.

Specialized in detecting your webcam

In essence, Webcam Player is a webcam detection and visualization software; it does not serve for recording or streaming purposes – it hasn’t reached that level of complexity yet and we’re not sure it ever will, since updates haven’t been rolled out in a long time.

The reality is that it’s one of the simplest, most accessible programs that we’ve seen in this software category. While that is not necessarily a negative aspect, more advanced functions would have been welcomed nonetheless.

The advantages of being portable

This is a portable application, which means that installation is not necessary; launching it and experiencing with its functionality is a matter of double clicking it. Plus, it is important to mention that it doesn't leave any traces in your Windows registry.

Webcam detection

As soon as you run it, provided that your webcam is connected to the PC, the application instantly detects it and displays the content streamed through the device.

If multiple webcams are connected to the computer, you can switch between them using the File menu. The dialog that becomes available allows you to select the capture source, as well as parameters such as brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, gamma, white balance, zoom, focus, exposure, tilt, pan, etc.

For a wider webcam view, you can simply resize the application’s window, so as to view the video details with more precision.

Bottom line

Considering all of the above, Webcam Player is a good choice, as long as your purpose is to test your webcam. Tasks more complex than that demand a more advanced software application.

Webcam Player was reviewed by Andreea Matei, last updated on August 6th, 2014